Tears
by Miss Magic 101
Summary: Luna and Neville are two people who never really show anyone else their emotions, except each other that is. Follow them through a series of events from Dumbledore's Army and beyond, which cause tears of all kinds from them both as they grow closer and discover their love for each other through these tears and emotions. **Rating may change with later chapters**


**Hi! Finally I'm back after the worst period of writer's block I've ever had! It was awful! But this chapter managed to bring me out of that and I have four more chapters planned (so far) for this story...not written yet, but planned and I am excited about writing them.**

**Anyway, Nevile and Luna as usual. Love these two characters, I think they're made for each other. Some of the characters may be a bit OOC and the events may not follow in the same order as the books but I hope you enjoy it all the same.**

**Enjoy!**

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**~ CHAPTER ONE ~**

**THE FIRST TEARS**

Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood met each other in their fifth and fourth years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry respectively. They met on the train to Hogwarts, in a carriage, surrounded by people whom Neville knew only tolerated him because they had to, and whom Luna knew, were only talking to her as she happened to be in this compartment. However, despite this, both Neville and Luna were instantly captivated by each other; Neville by Luna's natural unique nature and Luna, by what she saw when she looked into Neville's eyes, which she believed no one else did; namely bravery and courage that had not yet materialised itself within the young man who sat across from her.

During that journey Neville and Luna had talked about anything and everything they could think of, finding companionship in each other while the four other people in the carriage with them, simply ignored them and were buried in their own deep conversations about the upcoming war, which seemed to be increasingly inevitable. Luna had told Neville all about _The Quibbler_, the magazine her Dad had brought to life, and also all the fantastical creatures she believed in, but had yet to actually find. Neville listened with rapt attention, genuinely interested in what Luna had to say; he wasn't sure if he believed in the existence of Wrackspurts, Nargles and Crumple Horned Snorkacks, but he had an open mind, plus the radiant smile Luna got on her face when she talked about these creatures made Neville happier than he had ever imagined it would. Just as Neville had been fascinated by Luna's stories of mystical animals, she had been equally enraptured by his stories about Herbology, which was his favourite subject. Neville had beamed with pride, which was an unfamiliar feeling for him, when Luna had shown so much interest in his Mimblus Mimbletonia, and the sound of her laugh when the plant had spurted foul smelling goo all over the six occupants in the compartment, had been enough to mask any embarrassment Neville felt when Harry and Ron had shot him annoyed glares. It was clear from that moment on to both Neville and Luna that they had met a person, who would be a big part of their lives for the future, and this helped both of them to feel less lonely as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny continued to ignore them.

Neville and Luna had then got into the same carriage, both discovering that they had found someone else in each other, who could see the Thestrals pulling the carriages to Hogwarts. They had continued their conversation all the way to the castle, unaware of the strange looks they were getting from Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who all exited the carriage at the first opportunity they had and walked away giggling and whispering amongst themselves. Their reaction had bothered Neville slightly and had knocked some of the confidence from him that he had been able to find while talking to Luna. However, Luna did not seem bothered by what had happened and had continued to talk to Neville; as if he was the most interesting thing she had seen in a long time, which consequently soon helped Neville to forget his momentary lapse of confidence.

Neville and Luna had parted ways at the entrance to the Great Hall, unnoticed within the throng of students milling into the Welcome Feast. They had said a quick goodbye and promised to try and meet up as often as they could, despite being in different houses. With the promise of that in mind, Neville had smiled warmly at Luna, which she returned, and he was just about to walk away when all of a sudden, Neville had felt Luna's arms wrap around him in a hug, which she had murmured were to keep away the Nargles. Neville had been so shocked by Luna's sudden show of affection that it took him a second to react, before he returned the hug gently, bringing Luna's small form against his own. After a brief hug they had parted ways; Luna skipping to her seat, oblivious of the stares and giggles she attracted as she passed people. Neville had watched Luna go, a smile on his face as he admired her freedom, before sitting down himself, never taking his eyes of the petite blonde girl who had captured his imagination in such a short space of time.

It was this memory; the memory of the first day she had met her best friend, Neville Longbottom, which Luna Lovegood was currently focusing on, as she tried with all her might to produce a Patronus. The very person Luna was focusing on was the same person who was stood beside her, a look of intense concentration on his own face as he tried to come up with his own happy memory. Since the day they had first met on the train, Neville and Luna had become best friends; they understood each other in a way no one else did, they had the same interests and they had made each other happier than they had ever been when they had no friends in their first few years at Hogwarts.

"Expecto Patronum," said Luna, in her usual airy voice, still focusing on memories of her and Neville, smiling as she did so.

All of a sudden a silvery hare began to materialise itself in the air around her. Luna laughed as it began to bounce around her, covering more and more ground with each leap. The sound of her musical laugh jolted Neville out of his haze of concentration and he was automatically drawn to the delighted look on Luna's face and the hare that was jumping in circles around her, as she spun with it, her hands in the air. Neville grinned to himself and chuckled slightly as he watched his best friend twirl around; he was used to her whimsical ways of thinking and moving, but he could tell from the odd looks she was getting, that everyone else was not, but as usual, Luna appeared not to notice them, or if she did she simply didn't care what they thought, a trait Neville found simply astonishing.

"Nice one Luna!" exclaimed Neville, drawing Luna's attention to himself, so that her Patronus gradually faded away.

"Thank you Neville," said Luna smiling "you know what memory I was thinking of?"

"You don't have to tell me Luna," said Neville "if you want to keep it private I understand."

"No it's all right," said Luna, honesty sparkling in her eyes "I think you have the right to know considering it was you I was thinking of."

"Me?" asked Neville astounded "thinking about _me_ made you happy enough to produce a full-bodied Patronus?"

"Of course," said Luna dreamily "I can't imagine why you would think the outcome would be any different; you are after all involved in some of my happiest memories."

"I-I'm flattered Luna," stammered Neville, still disbelieving "thank you."

"I was thinking of the first day we met," continued Luna, as if Neville had not said anything "that day made me realise I wasn't alone, and that's why I chose it, because nothing has ever made me happier than finding out I wasn't alone in the world."

"You'll never be alone Luna," said Neville, who verbalised the words in his head before he even realised what he was saying "I'll always be around, whenever you need me."

"Why thank you Neville," breathed Luna, her face lighting up at his words "I hope you know I will always be your friend as well."

Neville smiled at Luna once again; she always had a way of making him smile in a way no one else could; Neville wasn't sure why this was, but thought it may have something to do with the fact she was simply herself in a world where people around her were often fake. Through all the time he had known her Neville had only ever known Luna to be her whimsical and wonderful self; he had never seen her sad and had never seen her portray any kind of negative emotion, he had simply seen her as a beacon of happiness and belief.

"How are you getting on with your Patronus, Neville?" asked Luna suddenly, jolting Neville out of his thoughts abruptly.

"I'm hopeless," said Neville, in a dejected voice "I can't produce even a tiny Patronus!"

"You're not hopeless," said Luna soothingly, locking her huge blue eyes with Neville's hazel ones "this is very advanced magic, the majority of people haven't got anywhere yet."

"I can't even master the simplest spells Luna," said Neville in a frustrated voice "why did I ever think I could produce a Patronus? Why did I even think it was a good idea to join Dumbledore's Army?"

"Because you know that this is bigger than just getting back at Umbridge," said Luna, in a wise voice "you know, like I do and everyone else does, that there's a war coming in the future and we all need to know how to defend ourselves. I know you're brilliant Neville, even if you don't see it yet, you just need to believe in yourself, like Harry says."

"I just want to be as good as everyone else," said Neville, feeling a bit sad "they're all doing so much better."

"They're not," said Luna, gesturing around the room, twirling as she did so "how many Patronuses do you see?"

"Not many," conceded Neville.

"Exactly," said Luna "everyone is finding this as difficult as you. Just keep trying Neville, think of something, let it fill you up, smile as you say the incantation and _believe_."

With Luna's words echoing in his mind Neville began to wrack his brain for a suitable memory to use. After a few seconds he settled on the day he and Luna had gone to Hogsmeade together and not only found out about Dumbledore's Army, but had also spent the entire day together. It had been snowing and Neville and Luna had walked from Hogwarts together; Luna twirling and swirling in the snow, snowflakes getting tangled in her hair, while Neville simply walked behind her admiring her, as he pondered his feelings for his best friend. All of a sudden, Luna had grabbed Neville's hands and proclaimed that they should dance, despite there being no music and despite the odd looks she was getting from everyone else who was on their way to Hogsmeade. Neville had been reluctant at first, but seeing the innocent and hopeful look in Luna's eyes, he had relented quickly, and soon he was twirling along with Luna, dipping her occasionally so the tips of her hair touched the ground; thanking the Yule Ball silently for teaching him to dance properly as all of his usual clumsiness disappeared. Neville remembered how he and Luna had danced all the way to the Hog's Head; laughing the entire way, not caring at all what anyone else thought about them. After the meeting which set up Dumbledore's Army, Neville and Luna had literally waltzed to The Three Broomsticks, where despite Luna's protests, Neville had treated her to a Butterbeer, before they raided Honeydukes, and danced back to the castle grounds, finding a shrouded clearing on the edge of The Forbidden Forest and tucking into a picnic of sweets, before parting ways later that evening. It had been that day which had made Neville realise he loved Luna Lovegood no matter what anyone else said, and that had made him happier than anything.

"Expecto Patronum," said Neville, smiling as he did so.

A silvery light emitted from the end of Neville's wand and as it did so, he held his breath, trying not to break his focus as he hoped that this would be the time he would be one of the first in Dumbledore's Army to master a spell. The silvery light stayed in the air for a few seconds, taking on no distinct shape before it slowly faded, and Neville sighed, dejected.

"See, I can't do it, Luna," he said sadly.

"You can," said Luna persistently "you were nearly there, try again."

"Expecto Patronum," said Neville, with more force this time.

Once again the same silvery wall of light exploded from Neville's wand, only this time as it emerged it appeared to be taking on a different shape. At first a body materialised; a strong body with four sturdy looking legs and massive paws, then a long, swishing tail, which was followed swiftly by a large lion's head, with a full mane and vicious looking teeth. Neville was shocked and delighted at the same time, but he kept his focus as his Patronus let out a mighty roar, drawing the attention of the whole room, all of whom stopped what they were doing and gawped at him.

"Fantastic Neville!" exclaimed Harry, clapping him on the back "well done!"

Neville, however, only had eyes for one person; Luna Lovegood, the person who had believed in him from the start and who had patiently helped him conjure his Patronus. Neville kept his focus on maintaining his Patronus, but also allowed his eyes to fall on the petite blonde next to him, who was beaming up at him, pride all over her face. Neville didn't think twice about his next action, he opened his arms for his best friend and Luna flew to him, nearly knocking him off his feet, making him lose concentration on his Patronus in the process.

"I knew you could do it!" Neville heard Luna's muffled voice say.

"You are the reason I did it," said Neville, speaking into Luna's hair, so only she could hear "you believed in me. I thought of the day we danced to Hogsmeade."

Neville was overjoyed when Luna giggled; her musical laugh making his grin even bigger as she disentangled herself from him, both of them suddenly remembering they were surrounded by other people, all of whom were watching them curiously, with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Careful Longbottom," someone suddenly shouted "don't get too close to her, you don't want to catch the Loony bug."

"Yeah Longbottom," someone else, whom Neville identified as Zacharias Smith chimed in "careful, she'll send you mad if you spend too much time with her what with her Nargles or whatever they are; I'm surprised she and her crazy father have never been put into St. Mungo's permanently with all the rubbish they spout every day."

"How is your father, Loony," asked the first voice, who Neville realised belonged to Terry Boot "still hunting for invisible creatures? You're deranged, both of you."

Neville felt a rush of anger so strong course through him, that he had to ball his hands into fists to control his temper, however, before he could react, Luna stepped forward, into the middle of the room, everyone's eyes on her.

"Just because you are close-minded Zacharias, Terry, that doesn't give you licence to mock other people," said Luna eloquently, in a voice that carried through the whole room "one day my father and I will prove all these animals exist to the rest of you and then you'll believe."

"When are you going to realise Loony, no one believes you," said Zacharias cruelly "no one believes you, no one even likes you, not even Longbottom over there, he just tolerates you because he has no one else."

"Neville's my best friend," said Luna proudly gazing around the entire room.

"You actually believe that?" sneered Terry, as the whole room roared with laughter, with the exception of Neville, who was seething with anger.

"Yes I do," said Luna, in the weakest voice Neville had ever heard her use, which appeared to be trembling, as she looked down at the floor.

The entire room exploded with peals of laughter once again as Luna wrapped her arms around herself and continued to look at the floor, seeming more vulnerable than Neville had ever seen her before. Neville meanwhile was still livid and filled with anger, and before he knew what was happening he was walking forward; his head held high, striding with more confidence than he had ever had before. If there was one thing that made Neville angry it was when people called Luna, Loony and insulted her just because she believed in different things. Neville had stood up to Draco Malfoy once, because he had called Luna names and he had consequently earned himself a broken nose; however this time was different, Neville felt confident; he had just produced a Patronus and he felt like he could do anything. Before Neville registered what he was doing, he had grabbed both Zacharias Smith and Terry Boot by the collars of their shirts and slammed them both against the wall behind them, much to the shock of everyone else.

"Apologise to Luna," he snarled in a deathly calm voice "now!"

"Or what?" asked Terry Boot, trying but failing to maintain his cocky demeanour.

"Or I might just have to practice my Stunning Spells on both of you," said Neville, in the same voice as before.

"Sorry Lovegood," chorused Zacharias and Terry simultaneously, causing Neville to release them from his hold.

"And as for the rest of you," continued Neville, in a remarkably calm voice "I am Luna's best friend, and I'm proud to admit it. I care about her greatly, just a reminder, don't ever forget that."

A stunned moment of silence followed Neville's words and actions where no one moved and everyone simply glanced at each other, too shocked to do anything. The silence was only broken when Harry cleared his throat loudly and everyone turned towards him.

"Right everyone," he said, in a slightly awkward voice "that's the lesson over for today. See you next time."

Neville stayed rooted to the spot where he was stood, beside Luna, as everyone quickly filed out of the Room of Requirement, not looking at him as they did so. When the last person had closed the door behind them, Neville once again turned his attention to Luna, who had not moved or looked up since Terry and Zacharias had insulted her. Neville had never seen Luna react like this to any insults thrown her way, but he suspected that the public nature of what had happened, and the fact that Luna considered the members of Dumbledore's Army to be her friends was the reason behind her obvious sadness now.

"Luna?" questioned Neville, in a gentle voice.

At the sound of Neville's voice Luna looked up and Neville was both saddened and shocked to see tears in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, while a vulnerable look graced her features which were usually so serene. Neville didn't even say anything, he didn't need to, he could see how Luna was feeling, so he simply opened his arms for her, sighing deeply as she fell into them and he wrapped her into a strong embrace. This was the first time Neville had ever seen Luna cry, the first time she had ever shown any vulnerability, and it was something that greatly saddened Neville, as he felt like some happiness had left the world as he watched Luna sob.

"Come on, let's go and sit down," said Neville kindly, who really didn't know what else to say and was just following his instincts

It was as if the room had heard Neville, because in the next second it had changed from the practice room of Dumbledore's Army, to a cosy looking lounge, which reminded Neville greatly of the Gryffindor Common Room as it was decorated with deep red and gold colours along with a roaring fire to protect them both from the cold. Neville slowly guided a still weeping Luna to the seat and sat down with her, his heart hurting as he watched her continue to cry.

"Luna, you don't need to listen to them," said Neville in a firm but sympathetic voice "they're idiots, you know that."

"I'm s-s-sorry Neville," whimpered Luna, her voice trembling between tears "I shouldn't b-be s-so upset, it's j-just they m-made m-me feel so s-stupid."

"You're not stupid Luna," said Neville, wrapping his arm around her shoulder "you're amazing; don't let anyone tell you any different."

"Why do they always l-laugh at m-me?" asked Luna, looking up at Neville with huge vulnerable eyes.

"Because they all want to fit in with everyone else," said Neville, surprising himself with his own courage as he took Luna's small hand in his own larger one "they're all scared to be themselves and to say what they actually believe. They target you because they don't understand what it's like to be true to themselves; it's wrong that they do, it's totally wrong, it always makes me so angry they laugh at you, I know you normally don't get upset by it but today was different, I just had to get involved, I hope you don't mind."

"Thank you for standing up for me," said Luna, wiping the tears from her eyes "I thought they were my friends too, that's what made me unable to defend myself, I was so shocked. I will forever appreciate you stepping in and helping me Neville."

"It's all right," said Neville smiling as he realised Luna's tears seemed to have stopped for now "I'm just glad you're feeling better, it was horrible seeing you cry."

"I try not to be sad too often," said Luna, in a dreamy voice "I find tears attract Wrackspurts; they don't mean anything malicious when they fill your brain and make it fuzzy, they just want to find a way to make the sadness go away, and that's the only way they know how."

"I don't like seeing you sad Luna," said Neville, turning slightly red as he said this, as he wasn't used to talking about his feelings like this with anyone, let alone the girl he had crush on.

"I don't like being sad," said Luna in a thoughtful voice "I don't like seeing anyone sad, especially you Neville. It's why I try to be happy all the time, if I'm happy then I hope the world will be too."

"Seeing you happy makes me happy," said Neville, squeezing Luna's hand gently "promise me Luna, if you're ever sad and you need to cry again, don't bottle it up, come to me all right? I'll make sure that whatever is upsetting you never does so again."

"That's very kind of you Neville," breathed Luna dreamily "but I wouldn't want to make life uncomfortable for you, I wouldn't want to be the reason why you lost your friends."

"You're my best friend Luna," said Neville, honesty in his voice and eyes as he regarded the girl beside him "if you're sad I'm going to do anything I can to make you happy, even if that would mean standing up to You Know Who himself to make you smile."

"I'm sorry you had to see me cry Neville," said Luna, her voice taking on a sudden sad tone yet again "you're the first person I've cried in front of who isn't a member of my family."

"It's all right," said Neville kindly "just promise me you won't think too much about what they've said; they're all just cruel people who don't appreciate how amazing you truly are."

"I'll try," said Luna, looking down at her hands sadly "it was just so different this time, I've never had anything like that happen, in a room full of people I thought were my friends."

"I know," said Neville, sighing deeply "and believe me I totally understand that it's the public nature of what they did that makes it worse, but please believe me when I say they're wrong."

"But what if they're not?" said Luna, in such a quiet voice that Neville almost didn't hear her "what if my father is wrong about all these creatures? What if everyone in Dumbledore's Army does just pity me because I'm a bit of a loner?"

Luna raised her head and looked into Neville's eyes, making Neville feel like she was looking directly into his soul. He noticed once again that her huge eyes were misted over with unshed tears and he suddenly realised he had seen that look many times before; the misty eyes, the scared look and the slightly trembling bottom lip, it was just he had never had time to react to it before, as Luna had perfected a mask that she showed to him and the rest of the world at every opportunity. However now they were in such close proximity and Neville had already seen Luna's vulnerability, she had no choice but to stop the mask of strength from taking over her face, and Neville felt like he was seeing the true Luna for the first time; the Luna who was affected by other peoples' comments, and the Luna who cared so deeply about her father that she was willing to stand up for his beliefs in front of a class of her peers.

"They're not important Luna," said Neville, not breaking eye contact with the girl next to him "what is important is what you believe, you believe your father don't you?"

"Of course," said Luna, her already wide eyes opening even more.

"Then that's all that matters," said Neville firmly "what they think doesn't matter, they're just not open-minded enough to see beyond what's right in front of them. I'd love to help you prove all these creatures exist."

"You would?" asked Luna, her voice and expression brightening at Neville's comment.

"Of course I would!" said Neville, finding Luna's sudden burst of enthusiasm infectious "you're the only one who has ever took the time to get to know me and I really enjoy all the time we spend together, any extra time we can spend together would be fantastic, I'd love to go on an expedition with you to find Nargles."

"Really?" asked Luna, her voice so full of hope that Neville couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah," said Neville honestly "as long as you promise me we could dance in the snow again."

Luna giggled at Neville's comment, which at that moment in time Neville thought was simply the best sound he had ever heard, given that not long ago Luna was sobbing in his arms. Luna's next actions were remarkably bold for her and they shocked Neville greatly, as Luna stood up and took his hands in her own, pulling him to his feet, gazing up at him as they both realised just how much of a height difference there was between them.

"I promise," breathed Luna, a smile lighting up her face "can we waltz now as well?"

"Why of course m'lady," said Neville gallantly, forgetting, as he always did when he was with Luna, his usual nervousness "as long as it will cheer you up and keep that smile on your face."

"Nothing would make me happier!" said Luna happily, smiling hugely.

"Then we shall dance!" exclaimed Neville, twirling Luna in front of him at his words, earning a giggle once again from his best friend.

For a while after that, the Room of Requirement was occupied by the two best friends dancing, twirling and waltzing around, using all the space available to them, despite there being no music for anyone to hear. Neither Neville nor Luna cared about the lack of music; they both came up with their own rhythms and danced to their own songs, much like they did in real life as well. Time passed unnoticed as the two teenagers spun each other around and around; their dancing style becoming increasingly vigorous as they got more confident with their own movements. Eventually both Neville and Luna were so out of breath and exhausted that they both had to stop and sit down, both still laughing heartily; only then becoming aware of all the time that had passed as they looked at the dark sky outside, a comfortable silence enveloping the both of them.

Soon Luna stood up once again and walked softly towards the window and simply gazed outside as she leaned her chin on her hand and her elbow on the window ledge. Neville smiled to himself; he was used to seeing Luna take herself into her own world and he loved the contented and peaceful look she got on her face and in her eyes when she did so. Often when this happened Neville simply watched Luna; not because he wanted her attention, simply because he wished one day to know what she was thinking and also to ensure that nothing and no one took Luna's peaceful world away from her; Neville always knew Luna would come back to him.

"Neville, look!" called Luna all of a sudden, excitement in her voice.

"What is it?" asked Neville curiously, walking over to join Luna by the window.

"It's snowing!" exclaimed Luna, laughing as she twirled; glee evident in every one of her actions.

"So it is," chuckled Neville, watching as heavy snow coated the grounds, sure to be present for a few days at least "which means that you, Luna Lovegood, owe me a dance in the very near future. I would suggest we go now, but I'm sure it's past curfew and with Umbridge around I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"But I can't wait to dance again Neville!" sung Luna, as she spun in increasingly dizzying circles, appearing to dance with herself.

"I know what you mean," said Neville, stepping forward and catching Luna as she fell backwards, losing her balance as dizziness and giggles overtook her "I wish we could dance outside right now, but the last thing I want is for you to get into trouble and have to go through one of Umbridge's detentions."

"Perhaps now isn't the best idea," agreed Luna as Neville set her back on her feet "I am pretty tired."

"Me too," said Neville, yawning "I still have a Potions essay to do at some point too, got another week to finish it though, I just hate doing them mainly because Snape hates me."

"I could help you," said Luna brightly "we could arrange a day soon to go down to the library and do that and then you could help me with Herbology and then we could reward ourselves by dancing in the snow!"

"Now that sounds like an excellent idea," said Neville smiling "we shall arrange it soon."

"Thank you for cheering me up today Neville," said Luna, after a short silence "and for standing up for me, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"Any time," said Neville simply "now come on, we should get back before Filch or Umbridge catch us."

Luna nodded and soon she and Neville were walking as quietly and quickly as they could across the darkened seventh floor corridor from the Room of Requirement to the Ravenclaw Tower, after Neville had insisted on walking Luna back to her Common Room prior to returning to his own dormitory. Luckily for both of them the corridor was deserted and remained that way as Neville and Luna stood outside the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room to say their final goodnight to each other.

"I'll see you tomorrow Luna," whispered Neville quietly "come and see me at breakfast and we can plan our dance in the snow."

"I will!" breathed Luna excitedly "I can't wait for it!"

"Me neither," murmured Neville "listen though; if anyone gives you any trouble again, and I do mean _anyone_, even Harry and Ron, I want you to let me know all right? Come and find me, send me an owl, that way I'll know about it and can make you feel better and make sure it doesn't happen again. Promise me you'll let me know Luna?"

"I promise," said Luna in a quiet voice "thank you for tonight."

"Not a problem," whispered Neville "I couldn't stand by and let them speak to you like that."

"You should get back to your dormitory," said Luna, her big orb-like eyes darting around, looking for any sign of Professor Umbridge or Argus Filch.

"I should," mumbled Neville "night Luna, see you tomorrow."

"Night Neville," breathed Luna, hugging Neville tightly, a gesture he returned.

"To keep away the Nargles," said both Neville and Luna together, smiling at each other as Neville watched Luna climb into the Ravenclaw Common Room and waved her goodnight.

Once he was sure Luna was all right Neville began a brisk walk back to the other end of the corridor, towards the Gryffindor Common Room and the ever-familiar portrait of The Fat Lady. For once luck was with Neville that night as he didn't encounter anyone on his journey back and before he knew it, he had mumbled the password to The Fat Lady and was inside the empty Gryffindor Common Room, a smile etched on his face as his mind played over the evening's events with Luna.

While still dwelling on his thoughts Neville climbed the stairs to his dormitory, not surprised to find it in silence and darkness as the other four occupants in the room slept soundly; remaining that way as Neville changed into his pyjamas and climbed into his bed. As Neville began to feel sleep gradually overtaking his senses, he thought of nothing but Luna Lovegood and his feelings for her; she was so different and beautiful and he was quite sure he wouldn't be able to survive if she left his life as she had become something and someone that he depended on. Neville was sure Luna did not feel the same way about him, but as he fell asleep he allowed thoughts of her to fill his mind as he dreamt, as he had done so many times before, of the two of them together; completely unaware that the whimsical blonde in question was dreaming of the exact same thing while sleeping in her own bed.

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**So what did you think? Hopefully if you enjoyed it I should be able to get the next chapter up soon now that I've caught the writing bug again. Let me know what you think and I'll see you soon! :) Thanks for reading!**


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